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The UN's health agency pleaded Friday for thousands of people in desperate need of medical care to be allowed to leave Gaza, in what it said would be a "game-changer".The World Health Organisation has supported the medical evacuation of nearly 7,800 patients out of the Gaza Strip since the war with Israel began two years ago -- and estimates there are 15,000 people currently needing treatment outside the Palestinian territory.But a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 has not sped up the process -- the WHO has been able to evacuate only 41 critical patients since then.Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories, called for all crossings out of Gaza into Israel and Egypt to be opened up during the ceasefire -- not only for the entry of aid but for medical evacuations too."All medical corridors need to be opened," he said, particularly to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as happened routinely before the war."It is vital and is the most cost-effective route. If that route opened, it would really be a... game-changer."Speaking via video link from Jerusalem, he told journalists in Geneva that two evacuations were planned for next week, but he wanted them every day and said the WHO was ready to take "a minimum of 50 patients per day".At the current rate, he said evacuating the 15,000 people needing treatment -- including 4,000 children -- would drag on for a decade or so.The WHO says more than 700 people have died waiting for medical evacuation since the war began.The UN health agency has called for more countries to step up and accept Gazan patients. While over 20 countries have taken patients, only a handful have done so in large numbers.Peeperkorn said only a fraction of Gaza's health system remained in service -- just 14 of 36 hospitals are even partially functional for a population topping two million.

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), through its World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Healthy Ageing and Dementia, continues to expand specialist services for the diagnosis, treatment and support of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in Qatar.As a local and regional leader in dementia care, HMC is highlighting its services during World Alzheimer’s Month, marked globally this September under the theme ‘Ask About Dementia, Ask About Alzheimer’s’.Since the opening of Qatar’s first Geriatric Memory Clinic in 2012 at Rumailah Hospital, HMC has significantly expanded its dementia services to include additional clinics at Al Khor Hospital and Primary Health Care Corporation health centres in Al Sadd, Al Wajbah, Lebaib and Rawdat Al Khail.“All our Geriatric Memory Clinics are staffed by a multidisciplinary team comprising of geriatricians, specialist dementia physicians, psychologists, dementia care co-ordinators, specialist memory clinic nurses, occupational therapists, as well as neurologists, neuropsychologists and other allied healthcare professionals. We provide a truly comprehensive service and remain committed to improving dementia care in Qatar,” says Dr Hanadi al-Hamad, HMC’s deputy chief medical officer, Long-Term Care, Rehabilitation and Geriatrics.At the Geriatric Memory Clinics, patients 60 years and above with memory concerns are assessed using the latest diagnostic tools, including family consultations, physical examinations, blood tests, ECGs and brain scans. For those diagnosed with dementia, HMC provides post-diagnostic support to both patients and their families. Patients without dementia are referred to preventive services at the Specialised Geriatric Wellness Clinics, focusing on lifestyle changes to reduce risk.Services at the clinic also include input from the Geriatric Neuroscience Multidisciplinary Team for advice on complex conditions as well as the Memory Outreach home service that is offered to patients who are not able to make it to the clinic.A key service provided by HMC is the National Alzheimer’s and Memory Services Helpline – RAHA. Since its establishment in 2020, RAHA (4026 2222) has offered confidential and direct access to professional advice on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease to thousands of people.“The RAHA helpline is staffed by a skilled team with multilingual skills who provide support to callers. It is the only service of its kind in Qatar and through the helpline, we have seen an increasing number of families accessing dementia care support at our Geriatric Memory Clinic,” says Dr al-Hamad.Throughout September, HMC has planned a range of activities to promote active dialogue about dementia and educate the public about the condition. These include an information booth at Grand Mall in Asian Town on September 26, from 1pm to 10pm, where members of HMC’s geriatrics care team, speaking both Arabic and English, will be available to answer public questions about the symptoms and care of Alzheimer’s patients.The programme also features school competitions and a Leaders and Healthcare symposium where hospital leads and healthcare experts in Qatar will come together to learn about the latest developments in dementia treatment and management. This year, HMC will once again collaborate with the Ministry of Interior to host dementia awareness sessions for first responders including police and traffic department personnel.

The World Health Organisation chief Friday urged Israel to stop the "catastrophe" of people starving to death in Gaza, saying at least 370 people have died from malnutrition since the war began."This is a catastrophe that Israel could have prevented, and could stop at any time," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters."Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime that can never be tolerated: doing so in one conflict risks legitimising its use in future conflicts," he said.His comments came two weeks after the UN declared a famine in Gaza, blaming the "systematic obstruction" of humanitarian deliveries by Israel.Israel has vehemently denied that its actions had caused famine in Gaza.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reported Friday that 373 people, including 134 children, had died from starvation and malnutrition in the besieged Palestinian territory since the war there erupted in October 2023.Tedros repeated the number and said that it included "more than 300 just in the past two months"."People are starving to death while the food that could save them sits on trucks a short distance away," he lamented."The most intolerable part of this man-made disaster is that it could be stopped right now," he said, questioning why Israel was allowing the situation to persist."The starvation of the people of Gaza will not make Israel safer, nor will it facilitate the release of the hostages," he insisted.The WHO chief also stressed that "where hunger goes, disease follows"."Lack of food and clean water and cramped living conditions are leaving people with weakened immune systems exposed to more disease," he said.He said that in the past month alone, more than 100 cases had been reported of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can occur after other infection and lead to paralysis.He also decried that there are currently more than 15,000 patients in Gaza in need of urgent specialised care who are awaiting evacuation."More than 700 people have died while waiting for medical evacuation, including almost 140 children," he said."We call on the government of Israel to end this inhumane war," Tedros said."If it will not, I call on its allies to use their influence to stop it."